2010-09-06 14:53

SEOUL -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Monday it will release a Republic of Korea (ROK) fishing boat and its crew members held there for alleged trespass into its exclusive economic zone.

ROK Red Cross was notified earlier in the day by its DPRK counterpart that seven crew members and the seized boat "Daeseung 55" will be returned to ROK on Tuesday, Seoul's unification ministry said.

The release will be made "from the compatriotic and humanitarian points of view," the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The boat was seized on August 8 presumably in waters within the DPRK's exclusive economic zone.

The announcement comes after ROK authorities repeatedly urged Pyongyang to release four South Koreans and three Chinese onboard the 41-ton vessel, who the DPRK claimed infringed upon its sovereignty.